Combustion chamber for fuel-injection engines



Oct. 19, 1937. A. F. SANDERS 2,095,527

COMBUSTION CHAMBER FOR FUEL INJECTION ENGINES Original Filed June 26, 1935 3 Fng 2. M2); 31 K 26a 30 Fig. 4.

3 34 Fig. 5.

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z rifiur Z? Sanders Patented Oct. 19, 1937 UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE COMBUSTION CHAMBERII'FOR: FUEL-INJEC- TION ENGINES Arthur Freeman Sanders, LeedspEngland, as-

signor of one-half to John Fowler & Co. (Leeds) Limited, Leeds, Yorkshire, England Britain July 28, 1934 3 Claims. (01, 129-32),

This application is divided out of my co-pnding application Serial No. 28,561 filed 26th June a 1 The invention relates to the combustion chambers of fuel-injection engines, and particularly to such as operate with compression ignition.

In the case of fuel-injection engines it is well known that towards the end of the compression which serve to assist in pulverizing the fuel on injection or on segregation on ledges and to draw the stream of pulverized fuel as a streamer round the main compression chamber. The second comprises a confusion of multiple small vortices producing non-directional turbulence which disseminates and broadens the streamer of fuel or initially-ignited charge throughout the whole charge. This turbulence is relatively transient, as turbulence produced by the entry of charge into the cylinder is mainly damped out during the compression stroke. Hence it is advantageous to restore or intensify such turbulence towards the end of the compression stroke and during the injection and/or ignition period and during earlier post ignition or expansion stagesof combustion.

In the case of such engines of the direct-injection type, i. e., those in which the compression chamber is an extension of the cylinder bore into 35, which the fuel is directly injected, the vortex motion is indefinite and the turbulence slight as there is little or no renewal of such turbulence: during compression, hence poor running is the result. 1 In the case of certain types of compressionignition engine employing what is now commonly known as an air cell (that is, an auxiliary chamber into which the fuel is injected and which usually communicates with the cylinder bore by a restricted and relatively long passage, this air cell forming substantially the whole of the compression space), the configuration of such air cell is such that severe vortex action is set up during compression but turbulence is deficient. Further due to the flow of gaseous charge through the restricted passage and to excessive vortex motion cooling of the charge heated by compression renders starting from cold difficult, unless excessive compression ratios or some independent ignition 5,5; or heating device be used.

' Themain object'of the present invention is to provide an, improved compression-ignition engine of the air-cell type with which the above disadventages will be obviated. But the. invention can with advantage also be applied to fuel-injection electric-ignition engines.

In the. accompanying drawing, which illustrates a type of combustion chamber for compression-ignition engines according to the invention=:-

Figure 1 is a diagram indicating the motion of the charge during-the compressionstrokeat the beginning thereof;

Figure 2 is a View similar to that of Figure 1 indicating the motion of the air just as the piston reaches top dead centre on the compression stroke; and

Figures 3 to 6 are fragmentary part-sectional elevations of combustion chambers formed according tothe invention and incorporating various distinctive features, the piston in each case being shown near top dead centre where the.

clearance. between the piston and the cylinder headxis only that necessary for mechanical reasons.

- Like numerals indicate like parts throughout the drawing.

A fuel-injection engine, according to the main feature of the invention, has a compression space so proportioned and arranged that during the earlier part the compression stroke an orderly swirl of air'is set upin it about an axis sensibly perpendicularto the. cylinder axis and suchthat during the final part of the compression stroke a second definite swirl is caused in the compression'space in a direction opposite tothat of the first swirl. Thus, the original swirl may be broken up into two main swirls one of which is in the same direction as the original while the other is in the opposite direction. The fuel-injector preferably has its outlet at the edge or in the stream ofone of the final swirls.

The compression space is preferably of compact form mainly outside the cylinder bore and offset the duct exerts no dominating eifect upon the meandirection 'of the air flow into the compression space during the compression stroke of the piston,'-'and of-which opening the mean plane of entry AB to the combustion chamber is of such aspect that the perpendicular through its centre of area passes nearly through the mass centre of the compression chamber, but preferably below this point, whereby a swirl in a predetermined direction is developed early in the compression stroke.

The fuel injection should commence at the mo-' ment approximately when. the .ini tial orderly swirl is first interrupted. The fuel should, for preference, be injected across and downstream of the larger of the final swirls rather than upstream, in order to extend the length of the streamer for a given period of fuel injection, though satisfactory results may be; obtained if the injection is substantially transverse to this swirl.

. A further important feature of the invention consists in this, that the wall of the compression space nearest the cylinder axis makes a rightangle or an acute anglewith the'appropriate face of the cylinder head, leaving a sharp edge of;

negligibie radius. In this-event, during the final portion of the compression stroke when the main rush of air into the compression space is across the face of the piston, intense-turbulence is set up beyond the sharp edge. Conversely, during the expansion stroke turbulence is set up on the other side of thissharp edge, thus promoting combustion during the initial combustion and expansionperiod. A

The injector can with advantage be'arranged so that some fuel is injected towards this sharp edge; then, when starting, fuel that tends to collect there in drops isblown oifduring the last stage of the compression stroke and very thoroughly atomized.

In Figures 1 and 2the arrows represent .dia-

grammatically the air fiow in the cylinder bore 20 and in the compression space 2|. This latter in this instance has a cylindrical wall portion 22 connected at its outer end remote from the crank-' shaft to a dome-shaped wall 23. The compression space is a compact one, it will be observed, and its centre is substantially aligned with the wall 24 of the cylinder bore, the compression space being materially offset from the cylinder axis. The opening 25a interconnecting the cylinder bore and the compression space is a relativelyrwide one of no axial length. The lower wall 26a of the compressionspace is at a lower level than the underface 21 .of the cylinder head. The side 28.0f the compression space nearest the cylinder axis makes an angle which is at least as great as with the face 21 of the cylinder head, and it terminates with a'sharp edge 29. The radius of this edge should be kept to a minimum, as is possible if the two faces be machined.

It should be noted that during the final portion of the compression stroke. the air rushing across the face of the piston, as shown in Figure 2, forms violent local vortices just beyond the sharp edge 29, as indicated at 3|. Conversely, at the beginning of the expansion stroke when the main.

rush of air is again momentarily across the piston face but in the other direction to that shown in Figure 2, intense non-directional turbulence is set up on the other side of the sharp edge 29, such turbulence serving f0? post-ignition purposes.

During the initialgportion of the compression stroke the mean direction of air flow, as indicated by the arrowsin Figure 1, is such as to cause clockwise swirl, in the compression space. As the piston 30 passes theneighbourhood ofthe lower wall 26a the mean direction of air flow into the compression space becomes more nearly and at last entirely across the face of the piston, disturbing and cutting across the original swirl, as indicated by the arrows in Figure 2, introducing non-directional turbulence and causing a residual swirl of the same sense as the original in the up- .per portion of the compression space and a swirl in the opposite direction in the lower portion of the compression space.

With reference to Figure 2, it may here be mentioned that the ratio of the volume of the dropped portion of the compression space (i. e., that below the piston face at top dead centre) to the whole of'the compression space should for preference be somewhere in the neighbourhood of 0.275 to 1. Increase or decrease beyond this ratiois followed by an increasinglyunsatisfactory performance.

With the above type of engine an orderly swirl is set up in the compression space about an axis which is sensibly. perpendicular to the cylinder axis during the initial part of the compression stroke, and during the final part a second definite swirl is set up in the compression space in a direction opposite to that of the first swirl. As a result of this interference some portionof'the original orderly swirl is broken up into non-directional turbulence, and these individual vortices V are carried round in the final swirls.

In the constructional arrangements illustrated, the compression space 2|, it will be observed, is formed in a plug .32 fittedin an appropriate cavity 33 of the cylinder head 34. For the best results to be obtained the-centreof, the upper por- I stream of the final swirl. .In' addition, they show.

the upper part 400i the cylinder bore as being formed in the cylinder head.

In Figure 4 the'lower wall26b of the compression space isinclined. In Figure 5the side wall 28a of the compression space nearest the cylinder axis makes an acute angle with the under face 21 of the cylinder head. In Figure 6 the wall 42 of the compression space remote from the cylinder axis is set slightly inwardly.

With all the combustion chambers easy starting and eflicient running can be obtained.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States 1. In a fuel-injection engine, a cylinder having a side wall and a top wall with a removed upper corner portion, a casing extending. about said removed corner portion and containing acompression space composed of upper and lower por-.

tions in which the volume of the lower portion.

cent side cylinder wall, said bottom being spaced. at all points appreciablybelow'the plane of the cylinder top wall, and a piston reciprocating in said cylinder and movable upwardly to a top dead center position with its upper edge in close proximity to said top cylinder wall and with a corner portion thereof entering the compression space whereby said piston on the compression stroke will initially set up a large swirl of the compressed air in said compression space when the vertical component of compression is dominant, and subsequently when the piston approaches and reaches its top dead center position with the horizontal component of the air-stream dominant, said piston will crowd the initial swirl upwardly into the upper portion of the compression space and form with the casing and bottom thereof a relatively deep lower portion of the compression space in which the horizontal component sets up an ancillary swirl in an opposite rotary direction to that of the original swirl.

2. In a fuel-injection engine, a cylinder having a side wall and a top wall with a removed upper corner portion, a casing extending about said removed corner portion and containing a compression space composed of upper and lower portions, said cylinder and casing having a wide opening of substantially no axial length leading from the interior of the cylinder simultaneously to both upper and lower portions of the compression space, and the volume of the lower portion of the compression space bearing the ratio to the whole compression space of substantially 0.275 to 1, said casing including a partly-spherical dome at its upper portion with its center of curvature substantially in line with the side wall of the cylinder and a cylindrical wall extending downwardly from said dome and connecting with the top cylinder wall at one side, said casing having a bottom wall lying externally of the cylinder and connecting with the upper end of the adjacent side cylinder wall, said bottom being spaced at all points appreciably below the plane of the cylinder top wall, and a piston reciprocating in said cylinder and movable upwardly to a top dead center position with its upper edge in close proximity to said top cylinder wall and with a corner portion thereof entering the compression space whereby said piston on the compression stroke will initially set up a large swirl of the compressed air in said compression space when the vertical component of compression is dominant, and subsequently when the piston approaches and reaches its top dead center position with the horizontal component of the air-stream dominant, said piston will crowd the initial swirl upwardly into the upper portion of the compression space and form with the casing and bottom thereof a relatively deep lower portion of the compression space in which the horizontal component sets up an ancillary swirl in an opposite rotary direction to that of the original swirl.

3. In a fuel-injection engine, a cylinder having a side wall and a top wall with a removed upper corner portion, a casing extending about said removed corner portion and containing a compression space composed of upper and lower-portions, said casing including a partly-spherical dome at its upper portion with its center of curvature substantially in line with the side wall of the cylinder and a cylindrical wall extending downwardly from said dome and connecting with the topcylinder wall at one side, said cylindrical wall of the casing making an acute angle with the underface of said top wall of the cylinder, leaving a sharp arcuate edge of negligible radius, said casing having a bottom wall lying externally of the cylinder and connecting with the upper end of the adjacent side cylinder wall, said bottom being spaced at all points appreciably below the plane of the cylinder top wall, and a piston reciprocating in said cylinder and movable upwardly to a top dead center position with its upper edge in close proximity to said top cylinder wall and with a corner portion thereof entering the compression space whereby said piston on the compression stroke will initially set up a large swirl of the compressed air in said compression space when the vertical component of compression is dominant, and subsequently when the piston approaches and reaches its top dead center position with the horizontal component of the airstream dominant, said piston will crowd the initial swirl upwardly into the upper portion of the compression space and form with the casing and bottom thereof a relatively deep lower portion of the compression space in which the horizontal component sets up an ancillary swirl in an opposite rotary direction to that of the original swirl.

ARTHUR FREEMAN SANDERS. 

